Hermosa Beach is joining the fight against expanded polystyrene litter.

On Tuesday the City Council approved the first reading of an ordinance banning foam food containers at restaurants and other food vendor locations.

Final adoption of the ordinance is expected September 11. The ban goes into effect 180 days after the adoption.

According to the Daily Breeze, Council Member Pete Tucker said, "We're not asking for manufacturers to invent some type of new packaging. It's already on the shelf, it's already there. It's the right thing to do."

Sustainable alternatives on the market include food containers made from corn and sugar cane.

Congratulations to Hermosa Beach for its environmental leadership.

According to the US EPA, polystyrene is recycled at 4 percent nationwide. This rate includes both foamed and non foam polystyrene.

Foam food containers in particular are difficult to recycle due to contamination issues, and the cost to prepare the material for recycling exceeds the market price. According to one recycler, it costs $42 to prepare 100 pounds of expanded polystyrene for recycling, which is then sold for no more than $25.